Understanding Punjab Politics Ahead of Assembly Elections 2022

Punjab is witnessing as many as five parties or coalitions for the 117 Assembly seats.

(Photo: Namita Chauhan/The Quint)

The Punjab is set to see its most crucial Assembly election in decades on 20 February and for the first time, the state is witnessing as many as five parties or coalitions for 117 seats.

In the run-up to the election, the Punjab just in the past year has gone through many major developments, starting from the year-long farmers' agitation, which also led to the exit of the Shiromani Akali Dal from the Narendra Modi government as well as National Democratic Alliance. The ruling Congress party in the state has gone through an internal crisis, leading to the ouster of former Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh and the induction of the state’s first Dalit CM Charanjit Singh Channi.

Months after the historic farmers' agitation ended and the contentious farms laws were repealed, the farmer unions have also joined the political fray, contesting as individual candidates and further changing the political equations.

The old parties are also being challenged by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which entered the state’s political arena in 2017 and had to content itself with only 20 seats. But this time around, there seems to be a wave of AAP support across the state, with some voters willing to give the 'Delhi model' of governance a chance.

With a crowded contest up ahead, what are the big trends in the Punjab? Will the Congress’ game plan of fielding CM Channi to rake in the crucial Dalit vote bank work or will the anti-incumbency wave lead to AAP taking away the baton? And how heavy will the farmers' agitation weigh against the BJP?

To help us navigate through the ins and outs of this election, joining me today is Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor.